1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cloth treating agent, a cloth and a textile printing process, which are suitable for use in printing using an ink-jet system, and to a print.
2. Related Background Art
As processes for conducting ink-jet textile printing on a cloth, there have heretofore been a process in which a cloth pretreated with an aqueous solution containing any of a water-soluble polymeric substance, a water-soluble salt and water-insoluble inorganic fine particles, which all have a non-dyeing property with respect to dyes used, is printed by an ink-jet system (Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-31594; corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-55277), a process in which cellulose fiber is pretreated with a solution containing an alkaline substance, urea or thiourea and a water-soluble polymer, printed with inks containing a reactive dye by an ink-jet system and then subjected to a fixing treatment under dry heat (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-35351; corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-168382), etc. Besides, the present inventors proposed a process in which inks are applied to a cloth, to which a water repellent and a polyethylene oxide resin have been attached, by an ink-jet system, and the cloth is subjected to a coloring treatment, washed and then dried (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-279490).
Objects of these prior art processes are to prevent bleeding of an image formed on a cloth and to provide a bright print having a sharp pattern and high color value.
The present inventors have carried out an additional investigation as to these prior art processes, and paid attention to the stable provision of a print satisfying the above objects when various conditions in a textile printing process, i.e. from the cloth treating step up to the coloring step, fluctuate, for example, when the time from the cloth treating step up to the coloring step is long. As a result, it has been found that molecular chains of a polyethylene oxide compound and a derivative thereof, which are cloth treating agents useful for the prevention of bleeding and the formation of an image having a high color value, are severed, as their nature, by the influence of temperature, metal, oxidizing agent, pH, physical external force, air, light, etc., and their performance may be deteriorated in some cases. The present inventors have therefore concluded that some improvement is required to handle these cloth treating agents for the purpose of providing a higher-quality print by an ink-jet system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cloth treating agent for ink-jet textile printing, which permits the provision of a print which has sufficiently high color value and depth in color, even when coloring conditions fluctuate, or even after the cloth treating agent, an aqueous solution thereof or a cloth treated with such an aqueous solution is stored for a long period of time, and can be prevented to the utmost from undergoing bleeding even when the amount of inks applied is great.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cloth which permits the stable provision of a high-quality print even when it is left to stand for a long period of time in various environments.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a textile printing process which permits the stable provision of an excellent print.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a print of even quality.
The present inventors have repeatedly carried out investigations with a view toward achieving the above-described objects. As a result, it has been found that tocopherols specifically act on improvement in the storage stability of a polyoxyethylene oxide compound or a derivative thereof as a cloth treating agent, thus leading to completion of the present invention.
The above objects can be achieved by the present invention described below.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is thus provided a cloth treating agent comprising a tocopherol and at least one of a polyethylene oxide compound and a derivative thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a cloth comprising a tocopherol and at least one of a polyethylene oxide compound and a derivative thereof.
According to further aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a textile printing process comprising the steps of:
(i) applying an ink to a cloth comprising a tocopherol and at least one of a polyethylene oxide compound and a derivative thereof using an ink-jet system;
(ii) subjecting the cloth, to which the ink has been applied, to a coloring treatment; and
(iii) washing and drying the cloth resulting from step (ii).
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is still further provided a print produced in accordance with a textile printing process comprising the steps of:
(i) applying an ink to a cloth comprising a tocopherol and at least one of a polyethylene oxide compound and a derivative thereof using an ink-jet system;
(ii) subjecting the cloth, to which the ink has been applied, to a coloring treatment; and
(iii) washing and drying the cloth resulting from step (ii).